One Goal, Two Ways
by The Snazzy Hat
Summary: Hiroshi Suke, a seemingly normal High School student at Karakura High suffers the worst fate a man can receive. Now locked in a world of violence, plots and blood, Hiroshi fights to find an end the reign of monsters and find an end to the bloodshed, even if it means devouring the fallen to protect the living. *Violence, Mild Gore and Swearing* -Currently accepting fan-art for image
1. Chapter 1

My name is Hiroshi Suke. Allow me to tell you about the day I died.

It was a foggy morning. I had always hated fog. I had no idea why. As I did every day, I got ready for school, bade mum and dad a farewell and walked out the door. My bag thudded heavily against my back as I ran to the school. I didn't want to be late for first period again.

School, as usual, was pretty dull. My eyes glanced over to the group sitting across from me. A trouble maker with a semi-permanent scowl, a human brick wall, the top student in the class, that new transfer student… Rukia I think her name was, a girl whose chest had its own gravitational field, the physical embodiment of comic relief and the only normal one among them, Mizuro. The fact that he was the only normal one made him stand out all the more, ironically enough.

I always wondered what that group was up to. The guy with glasses had only joined their group recently. I really don't know why I disliked him so much.

Maybe it was because his grades were so much better than mine.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

Class continued as it did every day. Well, apart from the weird roar I heard in class. I think a few others heard it too, as a girl's head shot up from her work and stared out the window in shock.

"Tatsuki! Hiroshi! Get back to the test!" the teacher chided

I returned to the test, but I couldn't help wondering what that roar was. Even as I handed up the sheet of paper, I had a nagging feeling in the back of my head.

As I wandered out of classroom, I heard someone run up behind me and grab onto my shoulder "Hey you!"

I turned around and saw it was the girl from earlier! "Tatsuki, right?" I asked

"Yeah. Now tell me if you heard that roaring earlier."

"Yeah I did. It was pretty weird right? I wonder what it was…"

"I think I know."

"You do?" I asked, interest suddenly piqued

"It's some kind of monster. Normal people can't see or hear them, but they're there. One of them attacked me and Orihime once."

"A monster?" I asked "You can't expect me to believe you right?"

"Do you have a better explanation? You saw that nobody else heard the noise!"

"Yeah, that did seem a little strange…" I mumbled, resting my hand on my chin in thought

"There's also Ichigo."

"Who? The guy with orange hair?" I asked. The guy had a reputation for beating people up, but when I dug a little deeper on the story, it seemed he was protecting people, and not like the Mafia 'protection', the genuine 'helping-you-because-I-can' protection.

"Yeah, him. I think he's fighting those monsters."

"Seriously?" I asked "Wait, so he helped you when you were attacked by one of those monsters?"

"Well… I don't know. I only started seeing him after the attack. I couldn't see the monster either back then."

"Okay… So what are we going to do?" I asked "Who are we going to ask for more information?"

"Ichigo'll probably blow us off without explaining anything, the stubborn ass." She said, blowing a strand of hair out of her face "Orihime knows less than I do, and she was attacked with me. I should probably be glad that I know as much as I do, but I can only remember things in sketchy detail, like my mind got wiped or something."

"Mind erasing? This sounds like it's getting pretty weird." I thought aloud "So what are we going to do?"

"Well I don't know anyone who's going to tell us. I think we just need to investigate on our own."

"What, like hunting monsters?"

"Something like that. Though I think we'll just stay out of their way if we can help it."

"This sounds pretty dangerous." I said, taking a hand off my face "Are you sure there's nobody else that can help you?"

"Positive. Nobody's letting us in on what the hell is happening, so our only choice is to find out for ourselves."

I thought for a moment. What she was proposing… It seemed a little odd, sure. But if this was some great secret, I just had to find out. I was always a curious child. Too curious for my own good, some might say.

"Alright. Let's get some stuff together and we'll go monster hunting."

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

Tatsuki had agreed to meet me in the park, a little after midnight I had told my mum and dad I'd be staying with a friend, which was partly true. I had only met Tatsuki a few months ago when I got exchanged into her class. Flipping up the grey hood of my hoodie, I checked my torch to see if the light was working and then stuffed it into my pack. A torch, a camera, a few pens and notebooks, an extending baton and a spare set of underwear. If Tatsuki said these monsters were scary, I wanted to go home in relative comfort.

I was interrupted from my stocktake by the sound of footsteps. I whipped out my baton and spoke into the shadows "Who's there?"

"It's Tatsuki, you moron! Who else would be here this late at night?" she said, stepping out of the darkness, her own black hoodie blending into the night

"I was wondering when you'd get here." I said, lowering my weapon

"Well here I am. Ready to get to work?" she asked

"You've got your camera right?"

"Yeah." She said, taking a digital camera out of her hoodies pocket

"Then let's get going, oh fearless leader."

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

For a good hour we stalked the empty streets of Karakura Town, investigating every crash, bang and shuffling noise. It all proved fruitless. We saw no monsters, no strange occurrences, nothing.

"Let's give it up Tatsuki. We're not going to find anything here." I yawned "Besides, we still have school tomorrow."

"Not just yet! We've got one building left." She said, pointing to an abandoned looking building

"The old theatre? That place was closed down ages ago! It's structurally unsound!"

"Jeez, stop being such a pansy!" she said, punching me in the arm "You didn't think finding monsters would be easy, did you?"

Grumbling, I followed her into the old theatre. I think I might have gotten a bruise.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

"Dammit Tastsuki, this place gives me the creeps!"

"Keep quiet! You want those things to get away?" she replied in a hushed voice

The wallpaper was hanging off the walls in huge strips, the once vivid red carpet now dull and splotched with grime. Many ceiling panels had also fallen off the roof, many of them breaking on the floor. Old propaganda movie posters were still displayed proudly here, even though the lights around them were all broken and dusty.

"Think we'll find something in here?" she asked, pointing her thumb towards the double doors leading into the screen room

"Maybe. Let's check it out." I said, carefully pushing open the door and walking down the carpeted isles

The theatre was deserted. The rows of soft seats had become moth bitten and frayed, the once proudly displayed silver screen now in shambles, great tears reaching from top to bottom, as if a giant monster had…

"Shit… Tatsuki! I found something!" I shouted

"What is it?" she said, running into the theatre "The screen?"

"It looks like it was torn apart." I said, walking in front of her

"Yeah. But by what?" she asked before gasping in shock "What the..! Hiroshi! Run!"

I whipped around and saw the thing up in one of the corners of the roof. It had a wide frog-like white mask, long scrawny limbs, folded up like springs. I couldn't get a good look at it before it started its attack.

The creature roared horribly and jumped from its corner. Time slowed down as fresh adrenaline pumped through my veins like a torrent of energy. Tatsuki was readying her fists, but I knew she wouldn't last a second against that thing! In a single act of stupidity, I put both of my hands on the side of her shoulder, swept my foot under hers and shoved her onto the floor and into one of the rows of seats. As she fell, I looked back at the monster, two rows of white teeth shining in the blackness of its mouth.

The thing bit into my torso as it collided with me, sending us both hurtling backwards. I let out a scream of agony as we both crashed onto the stage, the monster's two rows of teeth biting even further, splintering my ribs like they were twigs! But nothing compared to the pain I felt when it ripped its teeth through my flesh, dragging a broken chain along with it as it chewed with malicious content.

My body began to spasm. My arms and legs moved of their own accord as I screamed in pain. The last thing I remember seeing in my life was the horrified face of Tatsuki, silenced by shock. As my vision faded to black, my limbs continued to spasm even as the monster ate them, and I could feel my chest… disintegrating. After what seemed like hours, it had ended.

I was finally dead.

But my torment was not yet over.

Not by a long shot.

A/N

A/N

A/N

Foreshadowing mother***ers!

Hey guys, Snazzy Hat here. Thanks for reading the first chapter of my new story. Be sure to check out my other fanfics and leave a constructive review! Don't be afraid to criticize, that's how people get better. However, it does not work with mortal injuries. Believe me, I've tried.

So anyway, for those who are curious what arc this story takes place in, I'm going waaaaay back to when Ichigo first got his powers. I imagine Hiroshi Suke has hung around the classroom that Ichigo is in long enough to absorb at least enough spirit energy to turn him into a… Whoops! Almost spoiled the secret~! It also appears that Ichigo's Reshi Radiance™ only affects main characters, otherwise all of his classmates would be getting cool powers. Not to mention his teachers, students he's bumped into in the hall, dogs and cats, etc.

"What the hell Snazzy, I'm supposed to be the main character! Why'd you kill me so early?!"

Patience young Padawan, patience!

"How am I going to be the main character as a freaking mutilated corpse?!"

If you don't want to stay a mutilated corpse, you'll shut up now.

"…"

That's what I thought.

So anyway guys, thanks for reading, and please remember to review!


	2. Chapter 2

Pain. Unbearable, maddening pain. That was all I felt other than the wind rushing past me as I fell. I had no idea where I was falling to, or why. Was I going to hell? I wasn't exactly the most holy person in existence, but hell?

No. I was not in hell. It was far worse than that. As I slammed on the ground with a muted thud, I coughed up more blood as it splattered onto the sand beneath me. The agony continued with renewed vigour as I heard a sickening cracks, pops and squelching noises as my bones and flesh twisted. I mustered enough strength to raise my bloody hands in front of my face. I starred as my hands melted away and reformed into sharp white points. My shouts began to fill with bestial rage as I felt a white mask melt over my face, stifling my screams, turning them into the same roars of the monsters around me. I lunged to my feet and looked around.

I was angry. Who did this to me?! Who turned me into a monster?! I was hungry! Hungry! HUNGRY!

I was flung backwards, like something was tugging at a rope tied to my waist. The black sky in front of me returned to its stark, blinding blue colour. I landed on my feet with a thud, sliding a few metres on the grass, tearing up the earth. I stood straight, the two lances covering my forearms clicking slightly, like an insect.

I was at the very top of a hill. Upright stones lay everywhere, inscribed with names. I barely noticed. There was food nearby. That was all that mattered.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

The pit in my stomach was burning now. I was so hungry! Hungry and angry! I stomped up the hill, my giant footsteps muffled by the soft earth. I towered above the trees, looking down at the scene below me. So many tasty souls! I looked at them, and two in particular caught my eye. A woman, hiding her face from the world into a man's shoulder, who looked barely able to stand.

Who were these people? What is the cause of their misery? I looked at the small wooden box, suspended above a deep pit. A memory surfaced from the depths of my mind.

A funeral? For who? Who are all these people?

I looked a little closer at the two adults. The woman was barely audible, and her words were choked by sobs

"Why… Why did he have to die..? Hiroshi… My boy…" she sobbed before screaming to the heavens "WHY DID YOU TAKE MY SON?! WHY DID YOU TAKE HIROSHI AWAY FROM ME!"

Hiroshi? Another memory surfaced. These two… I knew them. They were my… they were my… my parents! Which meant…

Turning slowly, I looked at the picture frame placed on the coffin. A lanky teenager, barely sixteen, dressed in a freshly ironed high school shirt. Short black hair jutted out from all angles wildly. Two piercing, cynical eyes stared at the camera. I remembered that day.

My mind cracked. Suddenly, memories came spilling out like someone had opened the floodgates. I dropped to my knees, the lances covering my forearms sinking into the ground as my giant body shook uncontrollably.

I was dead! My parents were mourning me! I was attending my own funeral! What about Tatsuki?! Was she dead too?! The pit in my stomach was still burning. I had become a monster! I was about to eat my own family! What could I do?! Hungry! HUNGRY!

I heard a crashing sound as a tree fell to the ground.

"Well, well! Looks like a few souls wanted to say goodbye to a loved one!" a monster laughed. It was the same monster from the one in the theatre! "Don't worry! You'll be joining him in my belly!" he roared as the frog thing lunged for my mother.

Tearing a lance out of the ground, I skewered the frog monster through its mouth. It gurgled in pain, eyes beneath the mask whirring around and flickering, like pilot lights.

"Listen to me, you filthy monster!" I roared "I will make sure that none of your kind EVER hurts any soul ever again! I will become more powerful! I will protect everyone from your kind! I WILL KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU!"

I lifted the frog monster into the air and brought it down behind me, crushing what little life it had left.

"Hungry…" I groaned, my mask cracking open to devour the flesh of the monster I killed. I bit down, tearing flesh from bone, enjoying my feast. It was the greatest thing I had ever tasted! Chewing on the last of the meat and bone, I let myself roar into the sky in triumph. I had protected my family!

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

I stepped carefully around the city, making sure not to crush anyone or anything beneath my feet. Karakura Town looked different now. People in suits, uniforms, casual clothes, all running about. Taking their lives one step at a time. I looked at my reflection in a nearby office building.

The mask I wore was hideous. Two large angular horns jutted out of my forehead, with red painted lines running from the tips down to my eyeholes, where it circled around the burning yellow eyes surrounded by pitch blackness. I was hunched over, a huge peaked carapace going from the small of my back to behind my neck. My legs were vaguely insect like, plates covering them all the way down to my feet, each of them ending in two toes with wicked claws. My forearms had been completely transformed into lances, both of them long and sharp.

I looked like a monster.

Turning away from the building, I continued to walk down the streets.

*v*v*v*1

*v*v*v*2

"I'm telling you Ichigo, I felt spirit energy from a hollow coming from those two holes on the memorial hill! We have to go and find it!" shouted the black haired woman

"Just how are we gonna do that? Besides, if I just up and turn into a soul reaper, wouldn't that raise a little suspicion here?"

Ichigo and Rukia were sitting in a small coffee shop, discussing the events that happened that day on the hill.

"I'm sure we'll be able to locate it when it turns up again." She said confidently, taking a small sip from her coffee "Mmm. This stuff is really good."

"Yeah, just don't go all hyper. I want to be able to get to sleep later."

"What? Why?"

As Ichigo was about to explain the basics of coffee to Rukia, her phone began to buzz. Flicking it open, her eyes widened in shock.

"What is it?"

"It's here!"

"What?! Now?! With all these people around?" he shouted "Everyone here is in danger!"

"Calm down Ichigo! Now let's go! We need to do something about it!" she shouted in return, dragging Ichigo out of the coffee shop by his arm.

*v*v*v*2

*v*v*v*1

All of these people. It was hard not to step on them. It was like wandering through a field of flowers in heavy iron boots, and trying not to crush the flowers underfoot. Eventually, I decided to step into an abandoned alley. Propping my back up against a brick wall, I decided to sleep until night came. Then I could wander the streets without crushing any flowers.

But my rest never came. I found I could not sleep. So there I waited. I watched the sun crawl across the horizon, never feeling its warmth. I couldn't feel the sun anymore. Was this the price I paid to protect people? What other prices would I have to pay for my abilities?

Slowly but surely, night came. Struggling to stand up, I heard my joints cracking and popping, as they used to after a long test at school. Stretching my arms, I began my patrol of the town. Any other monsters would regret attacking innocent souls.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

It was when the moon was high in the sky when I heard the thundering footfalls and the screaming. A little girl, a chain jangling from her chest, was running from another of the monsters, this one looked like a giant ogre out of a fantasy novel.

"Fee fi fo fum! A stupid little spirit! Yum!" it chanted mockingly as it chased her.

The little girl ran into my leg as she rounded the corner. Looking up at my mask, she screamed and ran off again, this time away from the both of us.

"You dunce!" shouted the other hollow, knocking a fist into my side and slamming me into a building "She was mine! She would have been delicious!"

"I'm not gonna let you eat anyone this night." I said, freeing myself from the rubble and broken glass "Because I'm going to kill you."

"What was that?!" he laughed "You'll kill me?! HAH! As if you could ever-"

I cut him off when I swung my left lance in and uppercut and aimed for his gut with my right. He dodged out of the way, but earned himself a deep gash in his side as he roared in pain. I couldn't resist licking the blood off my lance, revelling in the power it gave me.

"What… The…" the monster muttered, clutching at his side "Who are you?! How dare you!"

"Who am I?" I asked, my eyes locking with his in a death glare "I am the man who will kill you all for making me like you. I am going to avenge my own death. And I will not rest until I have become the strongest of all monsters!"

The monster roared in anger "You are one of us! You are a Hollow! Why are you attacking us?"

"I want to get stronger. I will never touch a human soul. I will devour only monsters until I have become the strongest, most wretched monster of them all." I muttered darkly, swinging my giant lance arm out to the side "I don't care what names you go by, you are all monsters to me! Now die already so I can feast on your bloody remains!"

The other hollow roared and charged in, fists swinging wildly. Catching one in the chest, I felt the wind rush out of me as he began a barrage of blows. Striking me in the shoulder, arms, legs and chest, the impacts thudded against my skin. When he had finished, I sucked in a breath and turned my burning eyes back at him.

"My turn."

I quickly closed the distance between us, stabbing with the most force and ferocity that I could muster. Each strike, my lance arms pierced through his entire body, blood spilling everywhere! I could only laugh maniacally as he tried to fight back, so I sliced his arms off with one swing of my lance!

When the other hollow finally fell silent, I stabbed at his mutilated corpse once more and began eating. Who needs money when my reward is something this delicious?

*v*v*v*1

*v*v*v*2

"What the hell?" Ichigo asked, watching the scene unfold behind him "That spear hollow completely ignored the soul!"

"Yes, it would seem like that." Rukia said, deep in thought "Hold still. This won't hurt you."

"But Miss… I'm scared!" the small girl's soul squeaked

"Don't worry. The Soul Society is a wonderful place." She said soothingly as Ichigo performed the Konso.

"Rukia, I have a feeling this hollow isn't normal."

"Why's that Ichigo?"

Ichigo could only point at the hollow out of disgust.

"It's EATING IT?!" Rukia shouted "This is bad Ichigo! Really bad!"

"Why?"

"I haven't told you how hollows transform, have I?"

"They… They can transform?!"

"Hollow that start eating other hollows eventually transform into Menos Grande. One of those giant hollows that you and Uryu killed not too long ago."

"Then let's go kill it before it happens!" shouted Ichigo, drawing the massive sword off his back

A/N

A/N

A/N

Cliffhanger!

Hey guys, your benevolent leader Snazzy here. Letting you know that you're awesome for reading this. I think I got the attitude of a hollow right. Slightly megalomaniacal, itching to get stronger… Reminding you of anyone?

"So, what? Are we the bad guys now?"

No Rukia, you and Ichigo are not the bad guys.

"Good. But why are you doing these Author Notes? And why did you end on a cliffhanger?"

Am I paying you to question my methods?

"No, but-"

Then stick to acting.

"Hmph."

So anyway guys thanks for reading, I've been the Snazzy Hat, and be sure to leave a review with your thoughts and to check out all my other works!

Caio!


	3. Chapter 3

I had just finished eating. Licking the leftover blood off my lances, I was about to leave before something sliced into my back!

"Ichigo! What the hell are you doing?!" shouted another voice. Whirling around, I roared in pain and anger at whoever attacked me.

"Listen here you ugly hollow! I'm about to cut you to ribbons!" shouted the black cloaked figure that only came up to my knee. Looking closer, I saw a semi-permanent scowl on his face and bright orange hair.

"Ichigo?" I muttered "Tatsuki was right."

"How the hell do you know my name? And how do you know Tatsuki?" Ichigo shouted "Tell me!"

"Even if I told you Ichigo, I doubt you'd recognise my name!" I roared back

"I guess I'll just have to beat it out of you!" he said, raising his sword

"Bring it on, Strawberry!"

He charged in, sword raised. I smashed at the ground with my lance, but he dodged out of the way! As his sword cut into my leg, I roared in pain. Swinging my lance at him, I felt it connect as he was launched backwards into a building.

"Ichigo!" shouted the other voice. As I turned to see the source of the noise, I saw a short woman stare in horror.

"What are you doing here?" I roared "Get out of here before you get hurt!"

"What?"

"You heard me!" I shouted again, turning to block another strike with my lances

I swung a lance at Ichigo, silently hoping not to kill him, even as I swung my arms and attacked him.

Ichigo swung his sword at me, but I blocked it with my forearm. The sword bit slightly into my arm, causing me to reel back in pain.

"Now's my chance!" he shouted, leaping up into the air. I kicked him out of the air, sending him crashing into a building.

"Ichigo!"

"I'm not going to kill him." I said to the woman

"What?"

"I may be a monster, but I will not kill an injured man." I said, stomping away to nurse my injuries

*v*v*v*1

*v*v*v*2

Ichigo coughed as his vision returned.

"What the hell…" he said numbly, pain shooting through his nerves as he sat up

"Stay down Ichigo! You'll open your wounds again!"

Ichigo ignored her and looked around "Where are we?"

A paper screen door slid to one side as a man with a cane stepped through "Yo!"

"Hat and Clogs?"

"How're you doing Ichigo?" he asked, tilting his hat slightly

"I feel like I was hit by a truck." He groaned

"That's good! At least your nerves haven't been damaged."

"Shut up!" Ichigo snapped in annoyed tone

Kisuke explained how he had seen Ichigo hurt, and had taken him to the shop to heal and rest up.

"So what time is it now?"

"A little after five o'clock."

"Dammit, I missed school again!"

"Don't worry Ichigo, Kon's been to school in your place." Rukia said calmly

"That's even worse!" he shouted before reeling in pain again "Aaagh! My shoulder wound's opened up again!"

"Kisuke, I want to know more about that hollow from earlier." Rukia said

"Which one?" he asked

Rukia then dug out her phone, pressed a few buttons and showed Kisuke the image on the screen.

"This one. It's been called Lancer. The bounty's really low for some reason. It's only five hundred Kan, and not even any bonus either."

"Oh yeah. I think I've seen that one around before." He said, tipping his hat back "It appeared only a couple of days ago, during the funeral of Hiroshi Suke. Same place too."

"Hiroshi's funeral? That was just a day before…" Ichigo began, before retreating into silence.

"Ichigo. Do you recall when you found Tatsuki at the old theatre?" Kisuke asked

"What about it?"

"She didn't say anything about Hiroshi, did she?"

"You're telling me Hiroshi was with her?!" Ichigo shouted in shock

"You catch on mighty quick Ichigo!" Kisuke said cheerfully, before returning to seriousness "Now please tell me, did you find Hiroshi's corpse?"

"No. No I didn't."

A short silence filled the air for a moment before Kisuke spoke again.

"Then it's just as I feared."

"Do you mean..?"

"It is very likely Hiroshi has become the hollow known as Lancer. And from the sound of it, a powerful one."

The silence returned, heavier than ever.

"I never thought… It could happen to anyone from school." Ichigo muttered

"Hold on Kisuke, aren't you jumping to conclusions?" Rukia asked

"Maybe, but just in case I'm right, we should gather as much information that we can."

"Rukia. Do you have any other information about Hiroshi?" Ichigo asked

"Yes. It would seem that he has some form of aversion to the souls humans and soul reapers."

"Oh?"

"While hiding in the alley, around five hundred people and spirits passed him. He didn't move to attack a single one of them. All the members of Hiroshi's family are still living as well."

"So you're saying that he's only been eating hollows?" Ichigo asked

Rukia nodded slightly as she voiced her thoughts "This only makes him more dangerous. I'm afraid he may become a Menos Grande if he is not stopped."

*v*v*v*2

*v*v*v*1

Disgusting. The hollow I had just eaten was filthy! It tasted like someone had taken a dump in my mouth! I think after I had killed it, these big red doors opened up, and some kind of huge knife stabbed the torso and drew it back in! I thought that at least I had an arm from it, but the moment I took a bite, I wanted to throw up! I ran over to the river to wash out my mouth and tried shovelling water into my mouth, but the damn lances on my forearms couldn't pick up any!

"Dammit! I have to drink like an animal?!" I shouted

Leaning over on the bank, I submerged my large head into the water and drank deeply. Pulling my head out of the river, I burped contently.

"Oh that's much better." I sighed. I was about to stand up when something thudded heavily into my back. Turning around, I saw a black haired girl, eyes wide in terror.

"Oh crap…" she muttered as I thought the same thing

My mind raced for a way out of this. I didn't want her to know what I had become! Jumping to my feet, I leaned in as close as possible and roared as loud as I could in her face. Instead of fainting, she reached back and slugged me straight in the jaw! Okay, Plan A didn't work, so Plan B it was.

I fell dramatically backwards, straight into the river! I thrashed about in the river, but my lances wouldn't let me swim, and my clawed feet weren't helping either!

"Help! I can't swim!" I gurgled under the water

Then I remembered something. I had died. I had become a spirit, then turned into a hollow. Did that mean I still needed to breathe?

Tentatively breathing in, I noticed that I didn't need to breathe!

"Well, at least I don't need to swim anymore." I thought aloud

I sank deeper into the river, trying to reach back to the surface when a huge shape flashed by me, cutting into my shoulder!

"Hahaha! Another tasty morsel who fell into my river!" it laughed, swimming up to my face. Another hollow?! This one looked like a Koi fish but its muscular body had sharp spines and fins jutting wildly out of it.

Landing heavily at the bottom, I readied myself for a fight.

"Fool! Water is my domain! Here I am king! You will never defeat me!" it shouted

"You know what else makes its home in water?" I asked

"What?"

"Magikarp." I grinned

"You dare compare me to that pitiful Pokémon?! Now you will die for your insolence!" it shouted, rushing towards me

"Like shooting fish in a barrel." I said, raising my lance.

Before I could raise my lance any higher though, the fish collided with my shoulder, slashing at me with its fins!

"Too slow, mouth breather! Here in the water, your movements are slow, while mine are faster than anything!"

I leapt at him, using my lances to pierce through the water.

"Nice try! But now you'll have to sink again!" he shouted, rushing at me again "You're mine!"

As he got closer, I reached out with my neck and bit down hard on his side as he squealed in pain.

"Mmmmm! Tastes like salmon!" I laughed, gulping down the flesh "I think I'll dice you up and make you into sushi!"

"How..! I am invincible in the water!"

"You attack by getting up close. Too close for my lances, but close enough for me to take a nice big bite!" I roared

Reaching out with my lance, I skewered the fish hollow and bit down on its mask, crushing it in my mouth like eggshells as scarlet began to bloom in the water all around me.

After I had finished, I clambered up the steep slope out of the river. It was getting dark again. It was going to be time to eat again soon.

*v*v*v*1

*v*v*v*3

A man in a white jacket glided through the wood floored halls. That hollow hadn't been killed yet. What was its name? Lancer? He thought that the order had been put out a week ago, so why hadn't his sister destroyed it yet? It was unreasonable to even think of her slacking off. He decided that he should get her something when she got back. Maybe another one of those stuffed rabbit dolls she kept in her room.

He opened the door to the Hollow Bounty Registration and was immediately greeted by a clerk. "Captain Kuchki! What brings you here?"

"I am curious of the state of the hollow known as Lancer."

"Ah, yes sir. Right this way."

The clerk led him to a desk, covered in coffee stains, paperwork and computer monitors. He waited patiently as he clerk brought up the file.

"Here we are. Lancer. Age as hollow: Six days. Current Location: Karakura Town. Bounty… Does this even count?"

"Is there a problem?"

"It seems that someone has put its bounty at five hundred Kan instead of five thousand."

"No, that information is correct." A clerk said from the opposite table, leaning back on his chair and taking a sip of his coffee

"What? Why?" the first clerk asked

"He hasn't eaten a single soul. The bounty's only there because he's a hollow."

Nearby, a loud beeping could be heard as well as a shout. "Hey! We've got some new information on the hollow known as Lancer!"

"What is it?"

"The bounty's been raised from five hundred to five million!"

"Five million?! Why?"

"We've gotten a report saying that it's dangerously close to becoming a Menos Grande!" the third one shouted again.

Byakuya Kuchki stiffened at the words. A Menos Grande in Karakura Town was a potential disaster! Almost running out of the building, Byakuya flash stepped back to the barracks and slammed open the door to his lieutenant's office.

"Renji. Come with me."

"Captain?"

"There may be a Menos in Karakura Town."

"Karakura? Rukia's stationed there!" he shouted, getting up from his chair

"We'll save the visit for later. For now we-" Byakuya was about to continue when a black butterfly landed delicately on his and his lieutenant's shoulders as a voice filled their heads

"Captain Byakuya Kuchki, Lieutenant Renji Abarai. You are to go to Karakura Town at once for the arrest and retrieval of the criminal Rukia Kuchki. She has given her Soul Reaper powers to the human Ichigo Kurosaki. If encountered, he must be executed."

*v*v*v*3

*v*v*v*4

Sitting at the table, the man in glasses turned off the monitor, sat back on his chair, steepled his fingers and smiled to himself.

"Everything is going according to plan."

*v*v*v*4

*v*v*v*2

"So tell me again why we have to kill all these hollows before Hiroshi reaches them?" Ichigo yawned

"So he doesn't transform into a Menos."

"I know that, but how many do we have to kill?! I'm getting exhausted." He said, resting against the brick wall of the alley

"You could let Kon take over."

"No way! I'm not letting that creep take control of my body!"

"And I don't want to be in your filthy mouth anyway!" a new voice added

"Shut your trap!" shouted Ichigo, tossing the stuffed lion into the opposite wall

A beeping noise filled the air as Rukia's phone went off again.

"Is it Hiroshi?"

"Yes." She said, standing up off the ground.

"Then let's go find him."

The two ran through the streets, towards their goal. Then they were cut off.

"Rukia." The man in the white coat stated, a sad look in his eyes

*v*v*v*2

*v*v*v*1

I stomped down the road, licking blood off my lances with my long tongue. Tonight was especially good. I had killed and eaten fifteen hollows tonight alone! Think of just how many people I saved! Then I felt something. Something deep in my stomach, shifting like a snake, wriggling through my guts. Then the spasms started.

It was just like when I was first turned into a hollow. I felt my arms, legs and spine stretching, twisting and breaking. Flesh and bone mutated with sickening snaps and squelching as I felt myself grow above the tree line. My mask melted and twisted again, a huge conical nose forming in front of my eyes. I felt a huge black cloak form and wrap around me tightly, almost suffocating me. When it all stopped, I cracked the mouth of my mask open and roared into the sky.

Somehow, I had transformed! What could this body do now? Just when I get used to one, I transform again! I try to speak, but the only thing that comes out of me is another roar. Had I lost the ability to speak?

A white shape appeared on my nose and my eyes struggled focused on it. A man in a white coat, brown hair blowing in the cold night's breeze. I couldn't see his eyes from the glare given off from his glasses.

"Very good my little pawn. I think it's time to send you home." He said with a grin

I felt myself hurled backwards again, like I first was when I turned into a hollow. I landed with a thud as the window to the other world closed in front of me. Struggling to stand up, which is very difficult without using your arms, I looked around me. I milling around me were hundreds upon hundreds of things that looked exactly like me! My stomach groaned again.

This cloak was too tight! Tearing my arms free, I saw my arms had grown to match my new size, and the lances were still there. Many of the big hollows looked at me curiously as I readied my weapons and roared loudly.

A/N

A/N

A/N

*whew* Big one right here.

Greetings loyal minions! Snazzy Hat here!

So yeah, Hiroshi's now a Gillian. I have no idea if Gillians actually have arms or not, but whatever. My story, my rules.

*Roars loudly*

Shut up Hiroshi!

*Roars even louder*

I said shut up!

*Releases a roar that could split the heavens*

Fine! I'll give you your voice back if you just stop roaring!

*Stops roaring*

Excellent.

I have no doubts that you readers may be wondering where the heck this story's going. I've given you readers enough clues as to where this is going, so my more alert and intelligent readers may have already guessed the entire plot. The first person to PM me with their idea of the plot gets a prize!

Also, some of you may be wondering what the numbers at the end of the viewpoint breaks are. I'll let Yachiru explain, since she won't stop bugging me about not being in the fanfic yet.

"Thanks Snazzy-kun! Now, the numbers at the end of these thingies [*v*v*v*]-"

How did you even pronounce that?!

"Shaddup Snazzy! It's a different group of characters! 1 is that nasty hollow guy Hiroshi, 2 is Ichi-kun, Rukia and Kisuke, 3 is Byaku-bo, Renji and the other captains, and finally 4 is-"

Now, now Yachiru. I said you could do this if you didn't put out any spoilers!

"Hmmphfhurmmmuru!"

"What are you doing with my Lieutenant?"

"Yay! Kenny's here!"

Oh Christ! Hiroshi! Protect your creator!

*Roars loudly and runs away*

Damn it Hiroshi!

Before I die horribly, I wanted to say thanks for reading, be sure to leave a review containing your thoughts and suggestions and be extra sure to read and review my other works too!

Snazzy out!


	4. Chapter 4

Many weeks have passed. I'm sure of it. It could be months. Years even. It's hard to tell the time when you're underground and have roughly the same intelligence of a dense hippopotamus.

As I walked through the forest I was in, I saw almost no end to the giant hollows surrounding me. My teeth and lances were stained red and my gut was squirming to fit all the flesh I had devoured. But for whatever reason, I was still hungry. Skewering another passing hollow, I bit into its mask, earning a roar of pain. I ignored the pained roars and continued, eventually stabbing at the leftover feet and stuffing them into my gaping mouth.

Then I felt it again.

My arms shook as I felt them shrink, the snapping of bone and squelching of flesh mingling into my roars. My mask melted down once again and flowed over the back of my head, forming armoured plates. I saw the lance covering my left forearm melt away, leaving an armoured gauntlet in its place. My mask continued to flow around me, eventually covering the whole of my body. When it stopped, I looked at what I had become.

My shoulders were protected by two thick alabaster plates, three ivory spikes jutting out of each. My face was covered in a white pointed visor, like the medieval knights of Europe. Even my chest and legs were completely encased in what looked like white plate mail. I was still very large, but only a third of the size of the giant hollows that surrounded me.

"I think I can speak again." I said, voice cracking slightly from disuse "But why the hell did I get smaller?"

Three giant hollows around me towered over me and charged some kind of bright red energy balls and fired them.

I felt my armour burn slightly, and I was forced to one knee. When it stopped, I stood again and roared at them "Is that all you've got?!"

Leaping up, I swung my lance, slashing through all of their masks in one spin. When I landed on the ground, the three hollows landed heavily to the ground like fallen trees.

"Dinner time." I grinned

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

I walked across the shifting sands, my lance leaving a line in the sand as it trailed along behind me. I had left the forest full of giant hollows and found a desert above. To be honest, the place looked like it had been forsaken by god, ignored by the devil and the guy who ran limbo just didn't give a crap about it. The only things that I saw were a few small white trees, a pure black sky with a brightly lit crescent moon stuck in the sky, and a huge building in the distance.

"What the hell is that?" I asked myself, swinging my lance onto my shoulder

"That is Las Noches." said a voice behind me. Whirling around, I saw another hollow behind me, stepping up from behind a sand dune. His mask resembled a skeletal ram's head, horns reaching out to the front of his face. He was hunched over slightly, his back and arms covered in a thick layer of wool and his powerful legs ended in cloven hooves.

"Who are you?" I asked, readying my lance

"Not your enemy, if that's what you're thinking." He said, putting his hands up defensively

"Alright then." I said, putting it back on my shoulder "What's your name?"

"Carnero." He stated, putting out his hand "Yours?"

"Hiroshi." I said, shaking his hand with my new free hand "It's good to meet someone that isn't hostile out here."

"So you're an Adjucha like me then?" he asked

"A what?"

"An Adjucha. We form after devouring a huge number of Gillians, the hollows before you." He explained "But we must continue eating other hollows. Otherwise, we will turn back into mindless Gillians."

"So why aren't you trying to eat me now?" I asked

"I figure that if I help someone, I'll be able to turn into a Vasto Lorde sooner. Y'see, a Vasto Lorde doesn't need to constantly eat other hollows in order to survive. I figure that once I become a Vasto Lorde, I won't ever need to eat another soul ever again."

"You've eaten human souls?" I said, disgust creeping into my voice

"Hey, it's not like I don't regret it." He said, anger creeping into his voice "You think I enjoyed eating my own family? How could I? As soon as I realised what I had done, I wanted to kill myself! But then I saw other hollows doing the same thing. I knew then that I had to stop them. Talking to them didn't work. Tried attacking them, but they kept coming. Eventually my stomach got the better of me, and I started eating them. Then I found out something that sickened me."

"What?"

"Hollows were once normal souls. They got eaten, and then they turned into hollows."

"So by eating hollows…" I said dumbly

"It's basically the same as eating human souls."

I fell to the sand and covered my plated head with my hand. I'm a total hypocrite! Preaching about defending people when I was just eating them all along!

"Hey! Are you okay?"

"I've done terrible things. I've eaten so many hollows I can't even remember! I enjoyed eating them so much! I feel sick." I said, putting a hand over my mouth, but instead it just clicked against my mask "I'm a monster."

"So am I. But before we can do any good, we have to accept what we've done." He said, pulling me up to my feet "You can't move forward if you're always looking behind you."

"You're right." I said "Heh. We only just met and you're already helping me out."

"It's what I do. I was always the helpful soul when I was still alive. I see no reason why I shouldn't be now."

"So what should we do now?"

"Now? Well I've never been good at being the leader. You wanna take the reins?"

"Me? Well, I suppose if we just head towards that building," I said, pointing over to the huge grey structure in the distance "We'll find somewhere to live."

"Good idea. It'd be nice to sleep at some point." He said, stretching his huge muscled arms

"Let's get going then."

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

We marched through the plain of existence that Carnero called Hueco Mundo. Several hollows appeared to attack us, but we killed them and ate them. They were still delicious, but I felt none of the sick glee I first did when I first became a hollow. We could feel ourselves getting stronger with each one, edging our way to becoming Vasto Lorde. As the building drew closer, I felt a huge sense of awe as the building crawled closer.

"Exactly how big IS that building?!" I asked

As I spoke, I heard a huge explosion of sand erupt around us as a gang of ten hollows jumped from their hiding places.

"Dinner time boys! Let's get 'em!" shouted the leader, a vaguely bearlike hollow with huge crab claws

A koala hollow immediately ran out to attack me, but Canero appeared in front of me and tossed it up into the air with a single swing of his head "Don't worry Hiroshi! I've got your back!"

As the koala hollow fell, I raised my lance and skewered it. Flinging it at a charging hollow, I was surprised to see a huge hollow swing at me with a boulder like fist! Raising my lance above my head, the point passed effortlessly though the skin and into the flesh as the hollow roared in pain. Tearing my lance out and killing the hollow, I rush towards another, but Carnero knocks me out of the way!

"What the hell Carner-" I yell before a beam of red energy rips through the air from my left, colliding with Carnero and sending him flying into a sand dune "Carnero!"

"I'm okay! Jeez, that Cero stung like a bitch!" I hear him shout, his head popping out from the top of the dune

Impaling the hollow that had shot the Cero, I swung out and caught another in the face with the blunt side of my lance, sending it hurtling into another sand dune. The leader of the hollow gang cursed and charged in, his crab like claws clicking as they swung open and closed with blinding speed. Grabbing a hold of my lance, he gripped tightly with bone crushing strength. Releasing a cry of pain, I reached back and punched the leader square in the mask with my free hand, cracking it like an egg.

Carnero had freed himself from the sand and was finishing off three hollows. Now there was only one hollow looking at me. Raising my hand, I felt a powerful energy swirl into my palm as a red ball formed between my outstretched fingers.

"Cero."

A red beam of light shot out of my hand, completely obliterating the top half of the unlucky hollow.

"Alright Hiroshi! Let's eat."

*v*v*v*1

*v*v*v*4

The brown haired man looked at the two Adjuchas through his computer monitor and smiled smugly. His secret weapon was turning out to be quite a success. Those fools in the Soul Society would regret not bowing at his feet when they had the chance.

The door opened with a small click as a thin man stepped in and bowed "You called for me my lord?"

"Ah, my dear Octava. Have you prepared the serum?"

"Yes my lord. By my calculations, which have never been wrong, the subject should gain enough power to evolve into a Vasto Lorde, and the second application will increase his Arrancar powers to match, if not surpass yours, as per your request."

"Very good Szayelaporro."

"But my lord, what if something goes wrong? We must account for any possible error, as unlikely as it may seem."

"Do not worry my dear Octava. Everything is going according to plan."

*v*v*v*4

*v*v*v*2

Kisuke was staring into his own monitor, looking with extreme interest at the two hollows. The readings on the side of his computer were going crazy!

"I wonder if Ichigo has finished his training with Shinji yet." He pondered, alt-tabbing over to his other surveillance unit. The monitor showed a fully hollowfied Ichigo locked in a glowing yellow box, battling a woman dressed in a skimpy high school uniform.

"Should have guessed he was picking up chicks." He laughed

"What are you up to Kisuke?" a feminine voice rang out as Kisuke accidentally switched to his porn tab instead of returning to the desktop "Is that… KISUKE!"

"Youruichi, this is NOT what it looks like!"

*v*v*v*2

*v*v*v*1

Carnero and I had been walking around the giant structure for hours now, trying to find an entrance.

"How about I just make an entrance?" Carnero joked, pretending to slam his armoured head against the wall

"Heh. They'll probably think we're intruders, whoever built this place. Let's just keep walking until we find an entrance." I chuckled

And so we continued walking. For a brief period. A man stood in front of us, his eyes obscured by the glare given off by his glasses.

'Is he that guy I saw when I was a Gillian?' I thought. Then I took a look at his hair 'Nope. No he is not.'

The man in question had garish pink hair, a bemused grin on his face "Ah, you must be Aizen-sama's 'secret weapon'. And I see you've found a friend! How delightful."

"Just who the hell are you?" I asked, pointing my lance at him "You look like a human, though with that hair of yours and the feeling I'm getting I'm not so sure."

"Hiroshi." Carnero whispered "It's probably not a good idea to piss this guy off."

"What? How come?" I asked, lowering my lance

"Hmph. How rude. Talking about me even while I'm right here." He said in a mock-offended tone "I would kill you where you stand I it weren't Lord Aizen's orders to bring you back alive."

"What? Who's this Aizen creep?" I asked

"Lord Aizen is the ruler of Hueco Mundo, you insolent pup! Now you're going to come with me quietly, or we're going to have a problem!" he almost shouted

"Hiroshi! Let's just go with him! We seriously don't want to get him angry!" Carnero whispered desperately, shaking out of fear

"Carnero-" I began before feeling a sharp pain in the back of my shoulder! I whirled around, clutching at my burning shoulder to see the pink haired man holding an empty syringe.

"What the hell did you just-" I said, before my speech was drowned out by my own screams. Bones snapped, flesh shifted and slid under my skin as I shrunk once again.

"Hiroshi!"

"It's working! Just as predicted." The man laughed, putting his fingers together

I fell to the ground on my elbows and knees, shaking uncontrollably. Getting up to my shaky feet, I examined myself. Carnero now towered over me, and I was on the same eye level as the pink haired man. The armour covering my body was still the same, only now my mask had changed. Now it looked like a crusader's helmet that stretched all the way down to my neck, supported by two huge pauldrons on my shoulders connected to a massive chest plate. My legs were now covered in ivory coloured greaves.

"Ah, a complete success!" the man grinned

"Hiroshi..! You're… You're a…"

"A Vasto Lorde…" I muttered, before collapsing as the world faded to darkness.

A/N

A/N

A/N

What the hell was Kisuke looking at?! On second thought, I don't want to know…

Hola, everybody! Snazzy Hat here. How're you enjoying my fanfic so far?

So now Hiroshi is a Vasto Lorde, Ichigo has his Inner Hollow under control, Kisuke is keeping an eye on both of them and the battle of Karakura Town is getting near. If the anime is anything to go by, that means IT'S TIME FOR A FILLER ARC!

Just kidding. I wouldn't do that to you guys. Aizen or Tite Kubo might, but most of Kubo's fillers were okay. I never finished the Zanpakuto Arc or the Bount Arc or the… You know what, a few of his fillers that I've seen are good.

"Why are you bringing me into this?"

Because, Aizen, you're supposed to be evil.

"And how are fillers evil?"

Because they move away from the storyline people actually want to see. Just imaging watching a movie when suddenly all the attention shifts to a minor character and introduces a completely new character that gets killed off at the end.

"That sounds pretty annoying. How can one turn fillers into a weapon?"

Are you sure? Delaying the plot means delaying your world domination.

"On second thoughts… Maybe not."

*whew* Dodged a bullet there.

Anyway guys, thanks for reading, be sure to read and review all my works and if possible, submit some fanart for the story image. That, or bug someone who can until they do it.

Snazzy out!


	5. Chapter 5

As I awoke, groggily looked around the room I was in. It looked like a hospital room. I was lying on a hard bed with freshly pressed white sheets. Looking around some more, I saw another person lying unconscious in a bed on the far side of the room. He was covered in bandages and from the sound of things, he had trouble breathing.

'What's his story?' I wondered

I heard a door creak open as the man with pink hair strode in.

"Ah, good! You're awake at last it seems."

"Where am I?" I asked, swinging my arm around, but I was slightly surprised to see my lance was no longer there! Just my pale arm. I clutched it in disbelief. Was I human again?

"Surprised? It appears your Arrancarification went smoothly after all."

"Arrancarifi-what now?"

"Ugh. Simple minded… Never mind. Arrancarification is the procedure used to turn you into an Arrancar. One of us." He said, gesturing to himself

"One of you?" I asked

"One of us. One of us. One of us!" chanted two small bouncing creatures. I was slightly freaked out by their appearance as well as their chanting.

"Go away Luminia. You too Verona."

"Aww. But we wanna play with Hiroshi-sama!" one of them chimed

"Play! Play!"

"Out!" shouted the pink haired man, kicking one of them through the doorway as the other scuttled after it. He then turned towards me again "I don't believe that we've been properly introduced. My name is Szayelaporro Granz. The Octava Espada."

"Espada?"

"The most powerful of Arrancars created for Lord Aizen's army."

"Again with this 'Lord Aizen' character. Look, I'm not doing anything until I meet him. He sounds like the guy in charge of this operation." I said, stretching my arms

"Then it's your lucky day! Lord Aizen has requested your presence immediately in the meeting room." He said as he pointed to a pile of white clothes with a wide broadsword placed on top "Get dressed and go meet him. He doesn't like to be kept waiting."

As he left the room, I stood up and pulled the pants on and slid into the odd jacket. The right sleeve went all the way down to my wrist, but there was no left sleeve! The pants were odd too. They looked like a cross between disco pants and those pants samurais wore. What were they called again? Bah. I never paid much attention to history anyway.

Looking in a mirror, I saw my face again. Not a white mask, but my actual face! Well, half of it. The bottom half of my face and neck was obscured by half of the helmet I had as a Vasto Lorde. My black hair was back, sticking out everywhere as it always did. It had been so long since I had seen my own hair I had trouble believing it was there! For good measure, I tugged at it a little and was relieved to know that it wasn't just some illusion.

Belting the broadsword across my back, I stepped out the door and was immediately greeted by a man who wore nothing but a loincloth, a thick sheet of wool across his back and the left half of a helmet that looked like a ram's skull. A thick pile of red hair spilled out the back of his helmet, ending past his shoulders.

"Carnero? Is that you?" I asked

"Hiroshi! Where'd you get the cool clothes?" he asked, walking up to me

"They just gave them to me. What about you? Why aren't you wearing any pants?"

"I dunno. I never liked pants for some reason." He grinned

"Oookay." I said "So why do you look so different? Last time I checked, you were towering over me!"

"They turned me into an Arrancar! Said I was going to be your Fraccion from now on."

"Fraccion?"

"Something like a servant or whatever." He shrugged

"What?! I don't need a servant!"

"Yeah, but I'm going to be sticking around, so I may as well hang around with you." He said, stretching his arms "By the way, where are we going?"

"To meet this Aizen guy."

*v*v*v*1

*v*v*v*4

Aizen allowed himself a faint grin as his latest creation stepped into the meeting room. Hiroshi made his way over and sat down in the vacant seat at the opposite end of the long table. All the other seats were filled with what Hiroshi assumed were the Espada.

"This, my dear Espada, is our newest member." Aizen said, indicating towards Hiroshi

"What? This runt?" a tall, lanky man spat "He doesn't look like he could even put a scratch on me!"

"He's not going to be fighting you, brute." A woman retorted, her face hidden by a tall collar

"And even so, it is wise not to judge by appearances." Grinned Szayelaporro

"Ah can it Szayel." groaned a blue haired man, pinkie finger twisting carelessly in his ear "We're not in the mood for your 'superior intellect' bullshit."

While six of the Espada remained silent, the other four started bickering. Aizen cleared his throat and the argument ceased.

"Szayelapporo is right. He has been enhanced to be our most powerful weapon, second only to myself. Thus he has been given the title of Negativa."

"Negativa?" asked a pale Espada, looking at Hiroshi with cynical eyes

"Psh. What a load of bull!" shouted the lanky one

"Control yourself Nnoitra. Lest someone force your silence."

"Shut the hell up Ulquiorra! If you want a fight, I'll gladly to put you into the ground!"

"Trash."

"Enough." Aizen spoke again "Espada, you are excused. Negativa, you will follow me."

The Espada left the room and Hiroshi stood up. Nnoitra bumped his shoulder into Hiroshi's sending him a venomous glance with his one good eye. As they all left, the door slammed shut.

"So you're this Aizen guy I keep hearing about." Hiroshi said, crossing his arms.

"Indeed." He said, slightly annoyed at the boy's casual attitude "I have brought you here for a great purpose."

"My only purpose is protecting people. So what the hell is more important than that?"

"Protecting lots of people."

Aizen mentally grinned as Hiroshi straightened slightly and waited for him to continue.

"You see, I am going to protect everyone by overthrowing the Soul King."

"Soul King?"

"Yes. An evil dictator who was responsible for the creation of hollows." He lied "He created them to devour souls for his entertainment. The sick man enjoys torturing innocent souls for his amusement."

Honestly, Aizen was just having fun with him before hypnotising him with Kyoka Suigetsu. Nobody would be stupid enough to believe that.

"He's the creator of hollows?" Hiroshi said, gritting his teeth slightly "Then he's responsible for endangering Tatsuki. He's responsible for why I'm like this."

Even Aizen couldn't believe his ears. Was this child really that stupid? Maintaining his calm façade, he spoke again.

"Indeed. But I plan to use his very creation against him! Together, a pair of like-minded captains and I defected against the cruel regime of the Soul Society and formed the Espada. But we alone are not enough. That is when I found you. Together, you and I will defeat the Soul Society, overthrow the cruel Soul King and form a new era of peace!"

"All I care about is the safety of innocent people and the extermination of monsters." Hiroshi said, arms still once more "What you do is no concern of mine."

"However, a new threat has emerged." Aizen said, activating the screen behind him. The screen displayed an orange haired soul reaper wearing a white mask, red stripes running down the side, his black coat swaying in the wind.

"Ichigo?!" Hirako said, dropping his arms and balling his hands up in fists "What the hell is that on his face? It looks like a hollow mask!"

Aizen quickly put a hand on the hilt of his zanpakuto and muttered the release.

"What was that?" Hiroshi asked

"Nothing." Aizen said, gently letting the hypnosis take effect "Kurosaki is a zealot, employed by the Soul Society to destroy everything I have worked hard to achieve."

"No. Ichigo is a good man. He would never." Hirako stated. His words were true, but his voice wavered with doubt

"He would. He even killed his own mother."

"What?!"

"She was another revolutionary. She was going to join me, but when they found out, she destroyed all the evidence connecting her to me." Aizen said, putting a sad tone in his voice "I wish I could have died with her…"

Hiroshi looked in disbelief at the picture of Ichigo. Aizen gently influenced that disbelief to turn to barely contained rage.

"I want to kill him myself."

"He is strong. Powerful beyond belief. You will need to become stronger too if you wish to defeat him." Aizen warned "He will also come here, looking to kill our informant, Orihime Inoue. She has been collecting intelligence undercover in Kurosaki's group, and we had to rescue her from them when they found out her identity."

"He would kill one of his closest friends?!" Hirako shouted, palms bleeding now from digging his nails into his palms. Aizen repressed a laugh and faced away so Hiroshi would not see his wide grin

"You knew them?" Aizen asked. Of course he knew the answer

"I went to high school with them. Before… Before this happened to me." Hiroshi said, gesturing to himself

"Hiroshi, I am counting on you. My dear Negativa."

*v*v*v*4

*v*v*v*2

Kisuke couldn't believe his ears. Neither could Ichigo.

"That bastard!" Shouted Ichigo, tearing his headphones out "I'll fucking kill him!"

"Ichigo! Calm down!" shouted Uryu, trying to calm the raging soul reaper as Chad held him firmly

"He lied about everything! I would never kill my own mother! It was a fucking hollow!" he shouted again, trying to swing a fist at the computer screen "I'LL BURN HIS CORPSE AFTER I SLICE IT INTO A THOUSAND PIECES!"

"Ichigo, calm down!" shouted Rukia "If you get too riled up, your inner hollow might take control again!"

"Hiroshi, don't you dare listen to a word that bastard says!" Ichigo prayed

"It's too late for that Ichigo." Kisuke said solemnly "He's been completely hypnotised by Kyoka Suigetsu. Even if you can convince him he's been misled, everything he will see, everything he will feel, it will all be real to him. He's at Aizen's command."

Ichigo eventually calmed himself and sat back on the floor "This changes nothing. We're still going to go after Orihime. And if we can, we're killing Aizen."

"Ichigo." Kisuke said "If you can, try to get Hiroshi to see reason. Even if the illusions of objects are still affecting him, showing him the truth may be able to get him to cooperate with us."

*v*v*v*2

*v*v*v*1

I was furious. I was hacking away at the target dummies, slicing off the wooden limbs one by one, venting my rage at Kurosaki.

He killed his own mother.

Roaring, I split a target down the middle, kicked both of its halves into a wall and cero'd it for good measure.

I couldn't wait to kill Kurosaki.

But I needed to get stronger. Much stronger!

Slamming the blade of my wide broadsword into the ground, I stood there, huffing and wheezing. I hadn't been this angry in my entire life!

"DAMN YOU TO HELL KUROSAKI!"

*v*v*v*1

*v*v*v*4

When Aizen heard the shouting from all the way in the training rooms, he nearly choked on his tea. Then he realised that the training rooms were on the other side of Las Noches from where he was sitting.

"Perhaps I overdid it a little bit." He said "Maybe I won't have Carnero killed. Who knows what he'd do then."

*v*v*v*4

*v*v*v*1

I glanced down at my shoulder at the minus tattooed there. I was Aizen's unwilling champion. The Negativa. I spat on the ground. I couldn't care less about fancy titles. Aizen could choke on his own shit for all I cared. I just wanted Kurosaki dead. I stomped down the huge hallways of Las Noches, the raging anger slightly subsided, but I was still furious.

I heard a shouting from around the corner. Nnoitra was pummelling some female arrancar, shouting obscenities. Anger returning in full force, I grabbed his stupid hood and threw him against the wall, despite him being at least twice my size.

"Th-thank you." The arrancar choked

"Just get the hell out of here!" I shouted as I stormed away

"Hey!" shouted Nnoitra "What the fuck was that for?!"

"For being an asshole!" I shouted back at him "Hurting women? How much more pathetic can you get?!"

Nnoitra looked absolutely furious now "What the hell did you just ca-"

I didn't even wait for him to finish before shouting at him again "Pathetic! That's what you are! You want to fight someone?! Fight me!"

"With fucking pleasure!" he shouted, taking some huge weapon off his back

"What kind of a weapon is that?" I laughed, taking out my broadsword "It looks like you wanted the single dumbest weapon in existence!"

Raging, Nnoitra charged at me swinging the stupid weapon clean through a wall at me. Raising my arm up, I blocked the huge weapon with one hand on my sword. Flashing towards him, I punched him in the gut, knocking him in the head with the pommel of my sword when he was doubled over. He fell flat on his face and I sheathed my wide broadsword.

"Pathetic." I spat as I turned and walked away

"Pray!" he coughed "Santa Teresa!"

Dust erupted around Nnoitra, wind blowing my hair wildly. When it cleared, Nnoitra had four new arms, all of them bearing large scythes. I felt I should have been impressed, but I was too angry to care. Nnoitra rushed in again, screaming in his rage. I felt the scythes connect with my body with a dull thud, but they didn't cut me.

"I-Impossible… There's no way you cou-"

I silenced him with a swift punch to the face, knocking him unconscious.

"Have a nice nap you piece of shit."

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

"Hiroshi, why did you attack Nnoitra?" Aizen asked

"He was brutalizing one of your subordinates." I offered

"But was it really necessary to wound him like that?"

"I only knocked him unconscious."

"You shattered part of his skull." He deadpanned

"He's unconscious. It's not like he's going to feel anything." I shrugged

"You make a fair point." He said, turning away "But be warned. If this ever happens again, you will not get off with just a warning."

A/N

A/N

A/N

Shheeeit Nnoitra! You got knocked the fuck out!

Greetings earthlings! Snazzy Hat here with another super important public service announcement!

Don't feed the Yao Guai! That is all.

"Wait! I didn't tell everyone about how I snuck the camera into Las Noches!"

Ugh. Okay Kisuke, but make it quick. I need sleep.

"That camera is actually a genetically modified insect equipped with a tiny video camera. I asked Orihime to keep it on her person in case she got kidnapped."

How did you know she was going to get kidnapped?

"Well, it was either her or Rukia, and since she got captured last time…"

Okay, I get it now.

Thanks for reading everybody! Be sure to read and review all my other works and che-

"Hold the fucking phone here!"

Oh god, not another one.

"How the hell did that little shit knock me out?! I've got the strongest Hierro of all the Espada!"

Have you ever used a mace against armour?

"No, but how is that e-"

Blunt strikes will always go straight through armour. Swords'll just bounce off armour if its strong enough. That's part of the reason maces were so popular in Medieval Europe. Probably the reason you kept losing to Nelliel was because you were using a blade against armour. That and your scythe thing is perhaps the most retarded weapon in all of anime. Not to mention he's technically six ranks above you. Satisfied?

"…"

Good. Now get lost.

As I was saying, be sure to check back for the next chapter!

Snazzy Hat, signing off!


	6. Chapter 6

I was lying on my new bed, starring at the ceiling. Why the hell was I still so god damned angry?! Leaping up, I opened the door to find the most emotionless of the Espada standing in the doorway.

"You didn't attend the meeting. Lord Aizen would lik-"

"Can it Ulquiorra. I don't care about any of this Espada crap or whatever the hell Aizen wants. He picked me for one job, and that's all I'm doing."

Ulquiorra's scowl deepened, one of the few emotions he actually displayed "Lord Aizen is most displeased with your behaviour."

"Because you said so? Whatever. Go back to Aizen, you puppet." I said, shoving him out of the way as I strode to the training rooms.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

"Hiroshi!" Carnero called out

"Yeah?"

"Where are you going? There's a meeting about to be held!"

"I'm going to train. Anything Aizen wants me to know, he'll tell me himself. That's what he told me anyway." I huffed "So what are you going to do?"

"I figured I'd see if anything needs doing around here." He said, sniffing the air "You alright? I can practically smell the angry coming off you."

"Shut up!" I snapped, before realising what I had said "Sorry. I've just been really angry for some reason, and I have no idea why!"

"Could be a build-up of spiritual energy. I had the same thing not too long ago." He shrugged "Doctor Carnero prescribes a few hours of blowing off steam in the training room."

"Heh. Thanks Carnero." I said, waving goodbye as I headed down the huge corridor

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

When I arrived at the training room, it was reported that I had apparently destroyed all the training dummies in the entirety of Las Noches. And since they weren't about to allow me near the Cero targets, all I did that day was sit on the walls of Las Noches and fire ceros into the sky, drawing the attention of several curious arrancars. Specifically, one of the Espada.

"What are you doing?" she asked

"Being bored. And angry." I said, shooting another red beam into the sky

"Why are you so angry?"

"I really have no idea why I'm still angry. Aizen showed me the picture a week ago, but I haven't gotten any less angry. I've tried everything too. No idea why anything hasn't helped."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"Hmph." She said, leaning against the dome "I also wanted to thank you for rescuing one of my fracciones."

"You're welcome." I said with no feeling whatsoever, shooting off another cero

"You really are an odd one." She said offhandedly

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"Ever since your private meeting with Aizen, you've been nothing but angry." She explained "Even Nnoitra has his moments of calm."

"That's 'cause he showed me something." I said, turning towards her "Something about Kurosaki."

"The boy who's somewhere in Las Noches?"

"He's here?!" I shouted, jumping to my feet "Damn it, where is he?!"

"I don't know. Aizen never told you there were intruders in Las Noches?"

"No. Come to think of it, Aizen never tells me much." I groaned "So much for being 'champion'."

"Maybe it's because you never attend meetings?" she offered

"Shut up! Just tell me where I can find him!"

"Not yet my dear Negativa." A calm voice said from the shadows "We must wait till the time is right."

"Why the hell are we waiting to kill this bastard?!" I shouted

"He has not been weakened. Right now he is strong. The others will weaken him, break his resolve."

"Then I deal the death blow? Is that is?" I asked, anger rising again

"Yes."

"Sorry Aizen, but I don't do things that way." I said, pulling my sword out and turning my back to him "I'm going to find Ichigo and kill him before he kills anyone else!"

Aizen sighed and put a hand on his sword "I was afraid it would come to this."

"Come to what?"

Aizen drew his sword and planted it firmly in the ground, surprising Harribel and I "Shatter. Kyoka Suigetsu."

*v*v*v*1

*v*v*v*4

The captains of the Soul Society stood above the fake Karakura Town they had created. The tear in the sky opened before them, the three traitors and three Espada with their Fracciones standing in the air before them.

Before Aizen could even speak, a huge ring of fire erupted around him. The captains and lieutenants launched to attack their foes, Aizen grinned. Fingers passing over the small cube shaped crystal concealed in his pocket, his smug grin grew slightly wider. The Kurosaki brat would pose no threat to him as long as he had this last ace up his sleeve.

As Aizen waited for the last piece of his puzzle to arrive, he pondered what he would do once he became King. Would he stomp out the existence of the Soul Reapers? Fill the world with Hollows? Once he became King, nothing would matter to him anymore. The Hogyoku had made sure of that. Poor, stupid Kisuke. He had no idea what he had created.

Hours passed and he decided that since the orange haired brat wasn't going to show up, he'd just destroy everything without him. Signalling Wonderweiss to come out of hiding, the small arrancar did exactly what he had been created for.

"I love Deus Ex Machina." smiled the silver haired man as the flames licking around them died down, revealing Wonderwiess in his Resurrecction form fighting with the Head Captain in front of them.

"Lord Aizen." Tosen asked "Should we release him now?"

"No. The Negativa must not be released until Kurosaki gets here." Aizen stated flatly. He needed that brat. As soon as he arrived, it would all be over.

*v*v*v*4

*v*v*v*1

Damn it! I was stuck floating in an endless void while the battle was happening. What the hell was this place anyway?!

"At least I got some practice." I grumbled, anger still present in my voice "I think I've mastered most of my abilities now."

As long as I was here, I had time to think. I didn't really know Ichigo. It was entirely possible that he had killed his own mother, but why was I so angry about that? There are people who have done worse things to their parents, so why was I so angry?! It didn't make sense!

I ran the facts through my mind again. When I first heard Aizen tell me what Ichigo did, why did I immediately believe him? Why was I so irrationally angry all the time? Why did Aizen lock me in this alternate universe? It just wasn't rational!

Then it hit me. It was entirely irrational. Like it wasn't even my own thought.

Hypnosis.

I had been tricked.

Rage flowed through my veins instead of blood now, as all my blood had been boiled away by the empty hate for Ichigo. I was so stupid! How could he do this?! Aizen was going to drown in his own blood!

*v*v*v*1

*v*v*v*2

Ichigo was running like hell through the black void. Aizen was going to pay! Lunging through the Garganta, Ichgo made a stab at Aizen, who was currently fighting with Shinji.

"Aizen!"

"Ah, the orange haired brat has arrived." Aizen smiled. Fingers gripping the cube shaped crystal in his pocket, he threw it into the air and shattered it with a swing of his sword. The dust from the crystal formed a portal, revealing a purple void. Then from the void, a man with black hair and a wide broadsword on his back stepped out.

"Hiroshi." Ichigo stared

*v*v*v*2

*v*v*v*1

"Aizen!" I shouted, drawing my sword and lunging at the brown haired menace "I'll kill you for what you've done!"

Blocking my sword with his, I swung backwards and up, knocking his sword out of a guard position. Rushing in with a punch, he countered with a kick to the gut and I was sent flying! I must've gone through two whole office buildings! Brushing the dust off me and spitting out blood, I leapt back up to continue the assault.

I swung my sword from below, but he blocked it with another swing of his sword! Loosening my grip, I let the blade of the sword swing backwards and I clubbed at his face with the hilt!

"Where's your smug superiority now Aizen?!" I shouted as he nursed his bleeding nose

Aizen only gritted his teeth and attacked once more. This was really unlike Aizen. But then again, I'd never seen him fight. But why was Ichigo just standing there, scowling?

"Ichigo! Why the hell aren't you helping me?!" I shouted "I know I'm an arrancar, but I'm the lesser of two evils here!"

Ichigo still did nothing as Aizen attacked again. I noticed Ichigo get knocked to the ground by a blur of black and white, but I didn't really think much of it. All that mattered right now was killing Aizen and dancing on his corpse! Blocking the attack, I charged up a cero in my hand and aimed it at his face.

"Cero!"

The red beam screamed through the sky, impacting with Aizen's sword and splitting into different directions! Charging in before he had time to collect himself, I sliced his chest open with my sword, blood spurting into the sky as he screamed in pain.

Swinging at me again, the sword carved across my chest, pain shooting through my nerves. Punching me in the gut, I doubled over in pain as he kicked my head down, sending me hurtling to the concrete. As I hit, the concrete beneath me cracked and flew up into the air, trapping me in a pile of rubble! Standing up again, I saw Aizen get head-butted almost sending him off the edge of a building! Leaping up, I landed at the top of the building.

"Friend of yours?" the man asked

Who the hell was this guy, and why was he helping Aizen? I lunged at him with my sword, but Aizen was up and blocked my attack! He leapt back and raised his sword above his head. I could have sworn I head someone shout something, but it was too faint to make out. When he brought down the sword, a huge crescent of black and red energy raced towards me! Raising my sword, I blocked the huge attack with the flat of my blade.

The sheer force knocked me off my feet, sending me flying through the air. Aizen jumped at me again, his sword covered in the same kind of glowing red and black energy that he had launched at me earlier!

His sword clashed with mine as the red and black energy licked life flames off the sword, biting into mine. Shifting my grip, I broke my sword out of the clash and aimed a swing at his neck! The other man intervened, blocking my sword with his, grabbing my jacket and tossing me onto the concrete below!

"And stay down!" he shouted before turning and muttering something to Aizen before disappearing again. Freeing myself from the concrete, I slammed my sword into the ground. It was time to get serious.

"Charge into battle! Armargo Lanza!"

I felt a huge boost of energy as dust swirled around me, concealing me. The two handed broadsword melted over my right arm, extending and tapering to a sharp point. The sides of my mask rose up, framing my face and keeping my mouth and nose covered and a single line of white raced its way up the middle of my face, disappearing into my hair. My clothes were torn away, revealing huge plates of thick white armour, going all the way down from the huge spiked pauldrons resting on my shoulders to my feet, where they formed thick ivory boots.

When the dust cleared, I leapt up to the top of the building and looked at Aizen with contempt.

"This is the end for you. 'Lord Aizen'."

Angling the huge lance covering my forearm, I shouted my attack.

"Sangre Glope!"

I was launched towards him, faster than any sonido could ever hope to go, lance aimed for his heart. He was barely able to block in time before I swung at him again. Scoring a deep hit on the shoulder, I wasted no time in attacking again. Then he passed a hand over his face, and when he took it off, I could only look in shock. A white hollow's mask with a number of red stripes going across the left side of it. As soon as it appeared, his clothes turned to the same black jacket and sword that Ichigo used!

"God damn it Hiroshi, it's me! Ichigo Kurosaki!" he shouted in a distorted voice

"Ichigo?" I asked "But if you're Ichigo, where the hell is Aizen?"

I looked down to where Ichigo was pointing to see three people locked in combat with a man covered entirely in white, a glowing blue gem embedded in the centre of his torso.

"Son of a bitch!" I shouted "Ichigo, I didn't know it was you! The bastard must've-"

"I know. I was wondering how I was going to snap you out of that." He said, resting his sword on his shoulder as he dispelled his mask "But now that I've got your attention, I'm going to try to quickly explain what's really going on."

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

I had almost ground my teeth to dust when Ichigo had finished. It didn't help that I couldn't stop thinking that song by Weird Al, 'Everything You Know is Wrong' while he was explaining it either.

"That's it." I said, looking down at Aizen's battle "I am going to flay him alive and wear his skin as a hat! Then I'm going to kill Weird Al Yankovich."

"Hold on, we need a plan!" Ichigo said, his hand catching me on the shoulder "Wait, why do you want to kill Weird Al?"

"Never mind!" I shouted "So what's the plan?"

"Aizen still thinks you're under his illusions, right?"

"Most likely."

"So what if we pretend to fight each other, then sneak an attack in?"

"Sneak attacks only work once." I said bluntly

"All we need is one."

*v*v*v*1

*v*v*v*4

Aizen was growing bored. He had just about defeated his two opponents and decided it was time to leave. Opening a Garganta, he slipped inside with a grin present on his face as he spotted the two giant thorns in his side land and pretend to fight. He had just one last thing to do before all of his plans became complete.

*v*v*v*4

*v*v*v*2

Ichigo and Hiroshi arrived at the scene of the battle just as Aizen had left.

"Crap! We're too late!" Ichigo shouted, planting his sword in the ground

"Language Ichigo!" shouted his father "I don't want my son to grow up to be any more of a delinquent than he already is!"

"Shut up dad! And since when did you become a soul reaper? When were you going to tell me?!"

"Where did you think your soul reaper powers came from, eh? And never, if you were wondering!"

"I hate to interrupt your family time," Hiroshi deadpanned "But our most hated enemy is getting away."

The two Kurosakis stared at Hiroshi, who had his arms crossed and was impatiently tapping his foot.

"Wasn't he kicking your ass just a few seconds ago?" the man whispered

"Shut up! He was hypnotised!" Ichigo shouted in return

"Now's not the time to be bickering!" shouted a purple haired woman, silencing the two arguing family members

"Yoruichi's right. The sooner we get after Aizen, the better."

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

"So where are we?" Hiroshi asked as he looked at the flowing purple walls

"We're in the Dangai. The place between the Soul Society and the World of the Living." Isshin explained as he threw something into the walls that were tied to his arms as they seemed to slow down and eventually halt altogether "Don't touch the walls. They'll suck you in and you'll be trapped here forever."

"So what's Ichigo doing?" Hirsohi asked. Ichigo was sitting down with his legs crossed, sword resting on both of his knees "It looks like he's meditating."

"Didn't you listen to anything I said earlier? He's communicating with his zanpakuto. His sword."

"Right." I said "So how am I going to prepare? I don't have any other entity to help me."

"Don't worry. From what I can feel coming off you, you're powerful enough to go toe to toe with Aizen." He said confidently "Just as long as he doesn't get any stronger."

"So I just sit here and wait?"

"Yep."

"For a whole three months?"

"Ah."

So there we sat. For weeks we sat in silence and waited for Ichigo to get his new power to fight Aizen. Then one day, Ichigo suddenly stood up without warning!

"Ichigo, are you oka- woah! When did you get these new clothes?" Hiroshi asked

Ichigo's clothes had indeed been changed. His zanpakuto was now bound to his right arm, the chain spiralling up his bare arm to his shoulder. His hair had also grown long at the back, giving him a huge orange mullet.

"Come on Ichigo. Go kick Aizen's ass. I'm too tired." sighed his father. Just as he finished, the walls started to creep back inwards again!

"Hiroshi, let's go." Ichigo said emotionlessly as he picked up his tired father. Running through the Dangai, Ichigo and Hiroshi thought only of stopping Aizen.

*v*v*v*2

*v*v*v*1

We blasted out of the gateway into the real Karakura Town. Setting his father down, Ichigo then gestured me to follow him. I was able to keep up with my sonido, but how did he know where he was going?

Then I felt the wave of energy hit me.

While not like a ton of bricks, it was enough to make me gasp. Then we found him.

We hit the ground simultaneously, right in front of Aizen. Both of our eyes widened in horror as we saw who he held by the neck in his left hand, high above the ground.

"Ichigo? Hiroshi?" she coughed, gasping for air "What the hell… are you two morons doing here?

"Tatsuki." I gasped

Aizen's maniacal grin widened as his grip grew tighter "This is the end. For all of you."

A/N

A/N

A/N

I have nothing to say here. Nada. If I did, it would entirely ruin the dramatic tension.

Thank you for reading, and be sure to read by other works, leave reviews and keep being awesome!

Snazzy out!


	7. Chapter 7

"Aizen." Ichigo stated "Put Tatsuki down. Or I swear I will kill you faster than you can drop to the ground."

"I don't think so, Kurosaki." Aizen spat, grip tightening around Tatsuki's neck "As long as I have her prisoner there's nothing you ca-"

Aizen was silenced when Ichigo suddenly appeared in front of him and punched his face in!

"Woah, Ichigo! What the hell!" I shouted, appearing below Tatsuki to grab her before she hit the ground. She coughed and spluttered, breathing in huge gasps of air as I held her between my arm and my lance.

"Hiroshi." He said, turning towards Aizen "Get Tastsuki out of here. I don't want to see her hurt."

"You don't have to tell me." I snorted "Hold tight Tatsuki."

I stood up and sonidoed away, landing in a concealed alleyway.

"I can stand up myself! Put me down!" she shouted. I dropped her, and for a while we stood in silence, regarding each other

"It's been a long time since the theatre, hasn't it Tatsuki?" I asked

"What the hell happened to you?" she asked, her voice shaking

"I got turned into a hollow." I said blankly "I've done terrible things. Most of which I'm probably going to go to hell for."

"What did you…" she began

"I don't want to talk about it. I didn't even want you to see me like this." I said, head turning away from her

"Hiroshi…" she said. I turned back towards her, then I got punched in the face! "You total MORON!"

"Wh-What the hell?!" I shouted back at her "What did you do that for?!"

"You thought that because you had turned into a monster that you didn't want me to know that you were still alive?! What kind of an idiot are you?!" she shouted "I've been blaming myself for what happened in the theatre all those months ago, only for you to show up out of the blue like that, only to mope on about how YOU'RE the one that had been suffering?!"

Her words snapped me out of the shock from her punch "You… blamed yourself?"

"How couldn't I?" she said, sitting down heavily as tears formed in the edge of her eyes "I asked you to come with me in the first place. God, I was so stupid!"

"Easy Tatsuki. Easy." I said "That's all in the past now."

"All in the past? All in the past he says! Like it's no big deal that I'm the one who got you killed!" she shouted, beating her hands against the wall as tears streamed down her face

"Tatsuki! Listen to yourself!" I shouted, grabbing her by the shoulder with my free hand "This isn't like you. You're stronger than this!"

She faltered for a moment, as if looking for something more to say.

"It's not like we can't move on." I said calmly "You can't move forward if you're always looking behind you."

She hesitated a moment more before standing up again "Thank you Hiroshi."

"Hey, no problem." I said, lightly punching her on the arm "If you're the Tatsuki I know of, you'll bounce right back. So don't worry. Just sit tight, and everything will be back to normal in no time."

"Hey, that kinda hurt." She laughed, rubbing the spot where I punched her

"Just returning the favour." I laughed

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

I returned to the battlefield, Aizen, who had inexplicably grown a mullet, and Ichigo were locked in conversation.

"So what did I miss?" I asked, sonidoing next to Ichigo

"You two think you can stop me? Pathetic fools!" Aizen shouted "I've been monitoring your progress since birth! I manipulated your entire lives to make you what you are now! I know everything about you!"

"Since birth?" Ichigo echoed

"Yes. I even went as far as to plant a condensed pellet of hollow reshi into Hiroshi on the day of his birth! It grew him into an immensely powerful hollow after his initial transformation!"

"You're the one who put that hollow in the theatre?!" I shouted

"Yes. I thought about turning that Tatsuki girl as well, but she would be too weak to stop you, Kurosa-"

I had had enough. Sonidoing close to him, I made a stab for his gut. He moved out of the way, bringing his sword down. Narrowly dodging out of the way, I tried to swing at him but he blocked the point of my lance with his bare hand! As he was about to hack at me with his sword, Ichigo came up behind him and swung at his back, but he reached back with his sword and blocked his attack, if only barely. Ichigo kicked Aizen's back and he and I tumbled over. I placed my feet under Aizen and sent him skyrocketing into the air. Leaping up, I held my lance up to the sky and shouted.

"Sangre Golpe!"

I felt myself carried up by an invisible force at blinding speed towards Aizen. I braced myself for the attack when suddenly, out of nowhere…

Tatsuki appeared.

Right in front of my lance.

The alabaster spike tore through her torso, blood spraying all over my face and stinging my eyes. But I couldn't close them. Her expression of surprised horror was the exact same as when I was torn apart at the theatre.

"Wh-Why? Hiroshi?" I heard her gurgle, blood dripping from her mouth

I fell to the ground heavily, knees giving way as I collapsed, clutching her limp corpse in my hand and lance.

"Wh-Wha-What…" I stuttered, the words struggling to come out of my mouth "What have I done?"

Aizen appeared in front of me, and before I could react, his sword pierced straight through my armour, plunging into my chest. As he yanked his sword out, I toppled over to the side, paralysed by pain as he laughed and disappeared.

I gritted my teeth and sat up again, holding onto the corpse in my arms. My wound was healing itself, but my heart was never going to repair itself. What I had done…

What have I done?

"I… I'm sorry… Tatsuki." I cried, tears cutting through the blood covering my face "I… I couldn't protect you!"

"Hiroshi!" I head shout from somewhere as a shoe bounced off the back of my head "Get up! Ichigo needs you!"

"Tatsuki?" I asked, head whipping around then turning again to see the body in my arms, a visible crack appearing on its forehead "Aizen you bastard!"

Throwing the false corpse into the side of a building as it shattered, I was about to leap away again before I felt the wind knocked out of me by and invisible force. I fell to the ground on my back, struggling to keep my breath.

I looked behind me to see Tatsuki, lying face down on the ground!

"Tatsuki!" I shouted. She didn't reply "Wake up Tatsuki!"

Nothing. Nothing but the maniacal laughter I heard off in the distance, suddenly silenced as he was dragged off by Ichigo.

I stood up, ignoring the sheer spiritual power in the area. Before, I was only furious. Now, the raw power of emotions inside of me, constantly shifting and raging like an ocean in a storm was too different from anything I've ever felt to know what it was.

Aizen will die for everything he's done.

As I sonidoed away from Tatsuki, I felt my own power sharply rise. The anger raging inside of me finally had purpose. I finally had a goal. As I directed all of my rage and anger towards Aizen, I felt two huge wings sprout out from my back, once white feathers tattered and bloody. The spikes on my armour dropped away as they were replaced by blazing flames.

I stopped behind Ichigo, looking at Aizen's new appearance in disgust. He looked like a giant moth man, with skulls adorning his six wings.

Ichigo had also changed as well. At least, I thought it was Ichigo. His hair had been turned black and grown even longer, his body was covered in what looked like thick clay bandages and a black energy was pulsing around his right hand before concentrating into a sword like form.

"Ichigo." I asked "Are you ready?"

He only nodded as he muttered his attack's name "Mugetsu."

At first, there was no noise. Only a huge wave of blackness erupting from the ground to meet Aizen. Then came the roaring sound, like heaven being split apart by a million warheads. When it cleared, Aizen was still standing. But only just.

"Hiroshi. It's your turn." Ichigo stated

"Are you ready Aizen?" I shouted "Because this is where I kill you for tearing the lives of many apart!"

I appeared in front of Aizen, lance at the ready as tendrils of white energy peeled of the glowing lance.

"Lanza de los Justos."

Time slowed down as the area around Aizen and I faded to complete darkness. Darting around Aizen, I stabbed into his chest multiple times, my rage and anger eventually turning to genuine flames, licking around Aizen as he healed his own wounds, screaming in pain.

Finally, I held my lance above my head the flames coiled around it before concentrating into a tiny pinpoint of light on the very tip. With one final raging scream, I slammed it straight through Aizen's chest, but before he or I could react, my lance exploded, blowing chunks of flesh out of his torso like mincemeat as I was launched back to where Ichigo was standing, my lance turned back into its sealed broadsword like form.

Panting, fell to the ground to keep myself standing as I felt the wings on my back crumble away and the fire on my shoulders extinguish themselves as my clothes turned back to my arrancar uniform.

"Did we get 'im?" I asked, looking at Ichigo as the black hair turned back to orange and his clothes returned to normal.

Ichigo couldn't respond. I looked at what he was staring at and my eyes and mouth dropped open as well.

Aizen was still freaking alive!

"How the fuck is he still standing?!" I shouted "I even shattered that blue gem in his chest! What the hell!

Aizen shuffled towards us, his sword still clutched in his charred hand. He was bleeding heavily, each of his breaths coming out ragged. Ichigo and I were too tired to move, paralysed by our fatigue as Aizen drew closer and raised his sword above his head.

Then he stopped.

A single crack appeared in one of his wings, followed by another. The cracks continued in force and speed until his wings shattered like glass! His sword also was shattered, and a huge number of bright red crosses appeared out of his chest.

"What the hell..?" I gasped, barely able to keep my eyes open as Aizen transformed into a giant star like cross.

I heard a clacking sound as a man in a green striped had jumped down from a nearby hill "Glad I got here in time."

It was almost immediately after that that I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer. I collapsed and fell into a dreamless sleep.

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

When I woke up again, I wondered where I was. The futon I was resting on looked like the one I had back at home. Home. Was I back home?

I gritted my teeth as I sat up, looking around at the small room I was in. I was covered in white bandages, the minus sign still showing on my left shoulder. A small pile of my clothes had been placed by the bedside, but my sword was nowhere to be seen.

I heard the door slide open, and the man from earlier step through.

"How're you holding up Hiroshi?" he asked cheerfully

"How do you know my name?" I asked

"Ichigo told me." He said, expression suddenly shifting into a serious one "Don't worry. Aizen's been dealt with."

"Right." I sighed "So what now?"

"Now, the Soul Society's probably going to clean up everything that's happened here. Try to repair the damage done by Aizen and his followers." He said, looking directly at me "And speaking of which…"

"I didn't follow him by choice, if that's what you're implying." I muttered

"I know that. But here's the elephant in the room." He said, holding up a finger "What are you going to do now?"

"Now?" I asked. Truth be told, I had no idea what I was going to do now. My family thought I was dead, hell, they attended my funeral! My classmates probably thought I was dead as well. Even if I moved away and got a different name, the soul reapers would sniff me out eventually. That'd happen wherever I was.

"Because if you don't get out of here soon, there's going to be a soul reaper extermination party coming for you. You are still a hollow after all." He said "Just a thought."

I decided what I was going to do.

"Let them come. I wanted to protect people. My ambitions were twisted and used against to cause this." I sighed "I don't think I can ever atone for what I've done here while still being alive."

The man stood in silence for a moment before grinning "Well before you go, there's someone that wanted to see you."

"See me?"

The door slid open once more to reveal Tatsuki, a solemn expression on her face

"I think I'll just leave you two alone." The man smiled as he closed the door behind him

For a while, Tatsuki and I just sat in silence, looking at each other.

"How are you holding up, Tatsuki?" I asked "Last time I saw you, you were face down on the concrete."

"Shut up!" she shouted, digging her heel into my side "I'm fine, but why the hell aren't you worrying about yourself? You got impaled by a freakin' sword!"

"I got better." I coughed "Well, getting better."

The silence returned, heavier than ever.

"What about Ichigo? Is he okay?" I asked

"He's fine. The stubborn bastard just refuses to die." She laughed emotionlessly. The whole experience had taken a lot out of all of us

"Heh. I knew it." I said, lying back down and starring at the ceiling

"Knew what?"

"You always did like him, didn't you?"

A huge vein appeared on her forehead as she slammed her fists on my chest "I don't like him you dunce! We're friends, that's it!"

"Hey…" I coughed again "You're hitting the spot I got impaled."

"So what's with the huge hole in your chest?" she asked "That's not a wound?"

I looked down at the black edged hole running straight through my chest "That's my hollow hole. Every hollow has one. Don't worry. It's completely harmless to me."

"It looks like it went straight through your heart."

"It did." I said "I hate to say it Tatsuki, but I don't think I have a heart anymore. Looks like I won't be having a girlfriend anytime soon."

"Moron." She laughed

"Tatsuki."

"What?"

"I'm going to die again. This time I hope it's permanent." I said

"What?!" she shouted, pulling at my shoulders "What the hell are you talking about?! You can't just die again!"

"Those soul reaper guys are coming for me. They'd hunt me down anyway because of what I am. I don't want to exist as a monster." I said, pushing her away and reaching for my jacket "I've done terrible things. It's time for me to face the music."

She looked like she was about to say something, but she faltered and looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry for what I did Hiroshi. I shouldn't have gotten you involved."

"What the hell are you apologising for?" I asked, pulling on my jacket and pants "I was involved in this the moment I was born. You aren't the reason that hollow was there. Aizen was. He was the one responsible for all of this. Even if he wasn't the one who put it there, it could have just been there by chance. So stop beating yourself up about it."

The door slid open once again as the man in green stood in the doorway.

"Hiroshi. They're here." He said solemnly

"About time." I said as I got up "See ya Tatsuki."

I was about to step through the doorway when I felt a familiar shoe collide with the back of my head.

"That's not how you say goodbye you jerk!" she shouted as she walked over to me, pulling me into a hug "Now try it again."

I faltered for a moment before sighing "Goodbye Tatsuki. I'll miss you."

"That's much better." She said, slowly letting go

I nodded as I walked out to the front of the shop. There stood a short woman in a black robe. The woman said nothing as she drew her sword.

"Just get on with it. I can't wait to be dead." I said, jamming my hands into my pockets

"You're not going to die." She said "You're going to be purified and sent to the Soul Society."

"Purified?" I asked "So I'll become a soul reaper or something?"

"If you enter the academy. But that's your decision."

"Well let's get on with this then." I smiled grimly as she nodded

I felt her sword stab into me, but I didn't scream. I'd screamed enough in my lifetime. Fear, rage, sadness. I didn't want to experience those emotions ever again. As I fell to the ground, I felt myself dissolving as my hands before me turned to black dust and were whisked away by the wind.

'Well world, I guess this is goodbye.' I thought as I grinned wider 'It's been one hell of a trip, hasn't it?'

A/N

A/N

A/N

Hello everybody! Snazzy Hat reporting for duty!

Thank you to everyone for sticking with me thus far, and a huge thanks to 3LittleMuffinMen who helped me a whole lot with his reviews and PM's giving me some tips. Cheers!

And because you guys are so awesome, I'm going to make one last chapter JUST FOR YOUUUUUU!

Snazzy out!


	8. Chapter 8: Epilogue

Several months had passed since the battle of the Fake Karakura Town.

As soon as I entered the Soul Society, I decided to enrol in the Soul Reaper Academy. If I became a soul reaper, I could actually help people properly. I managed to pass in only a few months. It looked like the time I was an arrancar helped me heaps with my classes. Now I wore a soul reaper's uniform, both of the sleeves torn off at the shoulders.

Now the minus tattoo on my left shoulder had taken a new meaning. Now I was the third seat of Squad One under Lieutenant Nanao and Captain Kyoraku. Thankfully Lieutenant Nanao did a lot of the paperwork, but that still meant I had a lot to fill out.

I was sitting at my desk, a mountain of papers stacked on one side. I had to weigh down the other side of my desk with sandbags to keep it from falling over. So I could only groan when Nanao walked in with another towering stack of paper.

"Oh what did you expect Hiroshi?" she asked, looking out from the side of the column of paper "Honestly, the amount of paperwork the head captain shirks is baffling!"

"I can see that." I groaned

"Something bothering you?" she asked as she plonked it down on the side of the table, causing it to tilt dangerously

"I wanted to protect people. It's the whole reason I became a soul reaper in the first place. If I knew that I'd spend most of my time I'd be filing reports about seemingly nothing I'd have just stayed in the Rukongai." I grumbled, taking the first sheet off the stack of papers

"Well, there're no posts that require someone of your calibre if you're wondering." She said as she turned to leave "Though I think that there's going to be trouble soon."

"Trouble?"

"There's a new threat coming from Hueco Mundo."

"More Hollows?"

"No, it's something different. It's like nothing we've ever encountered before." She explained "Whatever they are, we've taken to calling them The Wight."

"The Wight?" I echoed

"The odd thing about them is that they're not like hollows, soul reapers or Quincies. In fact, they're not even related to any of them."

"So what makes them so different?" I asked

"They don't appear to have souls of any kind."

"So they're all gingers?" I joked

"Don't be so stupid!" she shouted, smacking me over the head with a rolled up sheet of paper "I mean that they're living things without souls! It shouldn't even be possible!"

"So what are we going to do about them?"

"Nothing for now. We need to figure out what they are exactly, what their motives are and how they can survive without a soul. Squad Twelve is working on capturing one alive, but…"

Just as she was about to finish her sentence, a pair of black and red butterflies flitted into the room and landed on our shoulders as a voice filled our heads

"Attention all high ranking officers. Substitute Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki and Soul Reapers Lieutenants Renji Abarai and Rukia Kuchki have entered Hueco Mundo, along with the Quincy Uryu Ishida, the Fullbringers Yasutora Sado and Orihime Inoue and one additional person, whose identity is unknown as of this time. Lieutenants Isane Kotetsu and Shuhei Hisagai along with Third Seats Ikkaku Madarame and Hiroshi Suke are to report to the head captain's office for an official briefing."

As the butterflies flew off, I stood up from my desk, making sure not to send all my paperwork flying "Well, it looks like I'm going to see the head captain." I said "Are you sure you'll be right with the paperwork while I'm gone?"

"Positive. Now get going." She nodded

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

"Ah, good. You're all here it would seem." The head captain said in a slightly lazy voice "So I guess you guys wanna know what's going on huh?"

All the members present and I merely nodded as we waited for the head captain to continue.

"You see, there are these things we call The Wight that are infesting Hueco Mundo. These Wights are devouring hollows left and right."

"So what's the problem?" the bald third seat asked "If they're getting rid of hollows, that means less work for us, right?"

"While I'm all in favour of less work, these things aren't just eating hollows." He said "The Wight is like a disease. If a Wight comes into contact with a hollow, that hollow's going to turn into a Wight."

"Still not seeing the problem." a tattooed lieutenant put in

"I'm getting to it." He explained "The problem is that Wights don't have souls. If they're allowed to spread, it'll throw out the balance of the universe. It'll cause the soul society, Hueco Mundo and the world of the living to collapse."

"Just like the war with the Quincies." The silver haired lieutenant thought aloud

"Hold on." I cut in "If we're going in to kill them, we need some kind of protection so we don't turn into Wights."

"According to research conducted by Squad Twelve, the Wights can't turn you if you've got a certain level of Reshi. They'll just try to kill you instead."

"But if the Wight is like a disease, if we become accidental carriers, won't we infect the Soul Society if we return?" the Lieutenant asked again

"Again, only the Wights can infect other souls."

"So why are we going?" I asked

"You're going to Hueco Mundo to find the Substitute Soul Reaper and his friends and get their help to exterminate the Wights. We're not sure why he's returned there, but we don't think he's heard of Wights before. Dismissed."

"Yes sir!" came the four shouts as we all saluted

"Oh, and one last thing." The head captain said, tapping his eye patch "Wights don't have souls, so they don't have spirit ribbons. If you want to find them, you're better off using your peepers."

*v*v*v*

*v*v*v*

The four of us stepped through the exit of the Senkaimon, out onto the street.

"Alright, where is that… Urahara Shop, was it?" Ikkaku asked

"I think it's just over there." Isane said, pointing over to a small shop

"That place looks vaguely familiar…" I muttered

"Whatever. Let's go find Kisuke. Hopefully he's in." Shuhei said, scratching the back of his hair

As we made our way into the small shop, we were greeted by a large man in an apron "Good evening gentlemen. I'm afraid it's a little early for shopping. So what brings you here?"

"We need to get into Hueco Mundo. It's reported that Kisuke knows how to open a Garganta." Isane stated "Is he in?"

"The manager has gone with Ichigo and the others to Hueco Mundo." The man said, moonlight reflecting off his glasses "Any particular reason you wish to go to Hueco Mundo?

"Ichigo and the others have gone to Huceo Mundo for some reason, and we need to tell them about the Wights." Ikkaku explained

"Wights?"

A quick explanation later, and Tessai was on board with the plan.

"Alright. Just give me a minute to get the Garganta open." He said, opening a trapdoor "In the meantime, make yourselves at home in the training room."

As we all descended the ladder, I was so surprised at the huge amount of space under the teeny tiny shop that I fell off the ladder and smashed onto the ground!

"Hiroshi!" Isane called "Are you okay?"

"Yeah!" I called back, rubbing my back and dusting my legs off "If I can survive getting impaled, I can probably survive a fall like that."

"Just don't do it again!" shouted an annoyed Shuhei "I don't want you dying before we even get to Hueco Mundo!"

"Yeah, yeah."

After a while, Tessai finally opened the Garganta. The black rip in the sky flowed and shifted like silk in the wind.

"Everyone ready?" Shuhei asked as we all nodded in reply "Then let's go."

A/N

A/N

A/N

Sanzzy Hat here and a huge thank you everyone for reading!

It's been really fun writing this one, and some may have noticed small references to my other OC, Sivir, from Pet Human. Well here's what's going to go down here.

A crossover! Huh? Didn't see that coming did ya?!

That's right, I'm going to completely ignore the new Vandereich Arc and do my own thing. Because I haven't read it yet.

Be sure to leave your thoughts, as well as read and review my other works.

Peace out, and stay awesome!

Sincerely, The Snazzy Hat


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